Poster Session

What Is a Poster Session?

Poster sessions are a popular means for sharing current research, innovative ideas, or the mechanisms of recent projects. Poster session participants place materials such as pictures, data, graphs, diagrams, and narrative text on poster board to share their story. (AHRMM will provide specifications for poster boards after the session has been accepted for the conference.)

During assigned time periods, participants informally discuss their presentations with conference attendees. Presenters may augment their presentation with handouts.

Poster sessions give AHRMM members and other supply chain professionals an opportunity to communicate innovative ideas, success stories, research, and programs in an informal setting. It’s a perfect vehicle for those individuals and/or organizations and facilities that have data, projects, or achievements of narrow or focused interest, and those which may not be suitable for the formalities of a podium presentation, to communicate their message in an informal manner.

Poster sessions may present any of the following:

a description of an innovative supply chain program

an analysis of a practical problem-solving effort

a report of a research study

Poster sessions are not for product advertisements, vendor displays, etc.
Poster sessions are displayed throughout the conference, but have designated hours for Q & A.

How Does It Work?

The presenter may deliver a short informal talk or conduct a demonstration. Generally it is an informal arrangement where much of the time is taken up with queries & answers.

Conference attendees can drift in and out of each session, according to their interest. They become an interactive audience. The presentation, as such may only take 5, 10, or 15 minutes, but may be presented several times during the session.

What Works Best at a Poster Session?

Good networking opportunities. Posters offer the opportunity to engage with other conference attendees interested in the same subjects and areas. You might strike up a conversation with someone about your poster that may lead to future collaboration or even a job offer!

In-depth engagement. One-on-one conversations about your poster enable you to talk about very specific aspects of your research that may not be possible in a presentation.

Finding a fit. If your topic does fit exactly within AHRMM’s established conference tracks, but relates to the overall agenda or conference theme, posters can offer a strong supplement to the conference, as well as provide you with a means to present your project, idea, or research.

Polish presentation skills. Poster sessions offer the opportunity to practice your presentation skills. One advantage of presenting a poster is that it enables you to try explaining a concept in different ways, and see which explanation is most well received. At the same time that you’re honing your ability to communicate verbally, you can also hone your ability to present information visually in a simple way.

Feedback. A poster session is ideal for the early stages of research or a project, when you may stand to benefit from discussing your idea with professionals from the field.